tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856Sun, 23 Jul 2017 08:58:24 +0000meatless taco saladovernight oatsrecipesalad in a jarthat girl runs with scissorshttp://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)Blogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-3069498435248250257Fri, 13 Sep 2013 14:00:00 +00002013-09-13T07:00:09.074-07:00Positives<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9730020859/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="I'm not sure running this late was the best idea for sleep but I got it done anyways. In other news, it finally looks like it's going to start cooling off a little! #motherrunner #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining 22/#50milesinseptember by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="I'm not sure running this late was the best idea for sleep but I got it done anyways. In other news, it finally looks like it's going to start cooling off a little! #motherrunner #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining 22/#50milesinseptember" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/9730020859_a56a2fba65_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The further I get into this running thing, the more I realize the need for celebrating the smaller events as a part of the bigger journey.&nbsp; Of course at the culmination of all my training I want to celebrate the completion of a half marathon and a full marathon but where's the fun in waiting until then?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So some of the smaller positives...</div><ul><li>I'm running faster.&nbsp; I'm still slow but I've cut almost 3 minutes off my pace from my beginning point.</li><li>My food choices are getting better everyday.&nbsp; I want to eat healthy so I can run better.</li><li>I like how my body is changing... more on that in a minute. ;)</li><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I look forward to my workouts and I'm motivated by these little things to get my workouts in no matter what.</li></ul>A few of the bigger positives...<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Steve has been traveling a lot this month.&nbsp; That's typically not the norm but it looks like it will be for the forseeable future.&nbsp; When he's gone I'm a little more stressed... the dogs don't behave, Chaney is more challenging, and of course there are the inevitable disasters that seem to wait for when he's not home.&nbsp; That's just the way it works.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9730018499/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="This salad makes me look forward to lunch! #cleaneating by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="This salad makes me look forward to lunch! #cleaneating" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2880/9730018499_f81e4589b9_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So when he travels, I'm typically a little more stressed than usual and when I'm stressed, it's easy to slip into old disordered eating habits.&nbsp; Add in the fact that I'm alone and&nbsp;I face my biggest moments of temptation to binge.&nbsp; These are certainly shameful moments and I always regret it because it doesn't even make me feel less stressed for very long at all.&nbsp; I got a little anxious when he told me what his travel schedule was but I'm proud to report that I haven't binged once.&nbsp; I don't know for sure what's changed but the desire just isn't there.&nbsp; My theory is that the little things I've listed above have changed my perspective; or at least that's what I'm going to go with. :)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've kept up with my workouts even when he's been traveling and I'm proud of that.&nbsp; It's not easy after a long day of work, coming home to chores, dinner, and helping with homework, violin practice, etc.&nbsp; I completed one of my treadmill runs after 10 PM and in case you're wondering, that's really not setting yourself up for a good night's sleep.&nbsp; I was WIRED.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And lastly, the changes in my body.&nbsp; Probably TMI but I was shaving my legs in the shower&nbsp;the other morning and I found a strange and hard lump on the side of my leg close to the side&nbsp;of&nbsp;my calf, above my ankle... there was even an indention below the lump because it was protruding so much.&nbsp; I got all panicked so I did what a "normal" person does and I compared it to my other leg.&nbsp; Guess what?&nbsp; There was an identical lump!&nbsp; But after more poking and prodding, I realized what these lumps were...</div><br />New muscle definition.&nbsp; I'm not a hypochondriac at all. ;)http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/09/positives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-341036789295774359Tue, 03 Sep 2013 16:50:00 +00002013-09-03T09:50:10.961-07:00Hot & Hotter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9666035556/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="It's gonna be a hot run! by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="It's gonna be a hot run!" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/9666035556_6a9f1fe315_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So now that it's September, I start looking forward to "cooler" temperatures.&nbsp; I'll even consider 80 or 85 as a high temperature&nbsp;as cooler at this point...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9666033892/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="How is it still this hot?? Treadmill for me today... I'm going to have to start extra early to get 8 miles in tomorrow morning before it's scorching. #motherrunner #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="How is it still this hot?? Treadmill for me today... I'm going to have to start extra early to get 8 miles in tomorrow morning before it's scorching. #motherrunner #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2829/9666033892_d95dcafc9e_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">But instead we are having some of our hottest days and consecutively as well.&nbsp; Yay.&nbsp; Steve was traveling last week so it was the treadmill for me. &nbsp;Chaney wouldn't even entertain riding her bike with me in the evening while I ran... that means it's really hot if a kid won't ride their bike!&nbsp; BTW, I started watching Homeland to pass the time on the treadmill&nbsp;and I am now officially addicted to that show.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9666036838/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="It was a really tough run. I'm pretty much over this summer thing. At least the sunrise was pretty... #motherrunner #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="It was a really tough run. I'm pretty much over this summer thing. At least the sunrise was pretty... #motherrunner #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/9666036838_0a5df36e5f_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I had great workouts running on the treadmill during the week/Saturday which made Sunday's long run outside an even ruder awakening.&nbsp; I woke up early and started my 8 miles as soon as it was light out.&nbsp; It was one of my more miserable runs since I started running again.&nbsp; The humidity was awful, the sun was hot once it came up and I just felt sluggish.&nbsp; But in letting go of my perfectionism little by little, I wasn't going to freak about a bad run; instead I decided to focus on the other runs during the week that were good.&nbsp; This is progress for me. :)</div><br />When I&nbsp;got home I hopped in&nbsp;an almost cold shower so we could go see a 10am movie.&nbsp; I sat in the theater still sweating and told Steve that it was hot in there.&nbsp; Turns out that it wasn't hot, it was just me. ;)&nbsp; This continued the rest of the day.&nbsp; Everywhere we went I was hot.&nbsp; It was the weirdest thing... or maybe not since it was 109 on Sunday.&nbsp; <br /><br />I got a massage on Monday and she worked on my legs {my calves in particular} and I felt tons better afterwards.&nbsp; It's amazing how tight my calves are and that I don't even notice anymore until someone else works the tension out of them.&nbsp; As I continue to increase my mileage I'm going to get massages more often.&nbsp; She specializes in medical and sports massage and wow, she really knows her stuff.&nbsp; She even understood why I don't want to get rid of my callouses despite Steve's complaints. ;)&nbsp; <br /><br />Hey, at least I keep my toenails polished!http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/09/hot-hotter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-5295927942933212912Wed, 28 Aug 2013 14:05:00 +00002013-08-28T07:05:42.893-07:00Improving as a runner<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9616012072/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="I feel so much better now! I'm pretty sure the rest of the people in my home do too. 30/#55milesinaugust #motherrunner #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="I feel so much better now! I'm pretty sure the rest of the people in my home do too. 30/#55milesinaugust #motherrunner #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining" height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/9616012072_dba50f259a_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As a beginning runner, I think I've paid more attention to what not to do because I have wanted to avoid injury and run consistently.&nbsp; And while that's fine and good I fell into the trap of not improving much either... at least past being able to run consecutive minutes and miles.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">One of the most common pieces of advice given to beginning runners is: if you're out breath, you're running too fast.&nbsp; Now I get why that makes sense, especially early on, but at some point if you don't push yourself you aren't going to see gains in fitness and performance.&nbsp; </div><br />I took that rule of thumb to heart and outside of&nbsp;some hills and the occasional strides, I've run at a "conversational pace".&nbsp; I know that doing this has kept me healthy but after talking to a running friend and expressing my frustration; I realized that it's OK to push myself and&nbsp;breathe hard in some of my workouts.<br /><br />In that same conversation we were talking about breathing and how your warm up can impact your breathing throughout the workout.&nbsp; Now, I'm not the most patient person so I consider walking for 5 minutes before I run to be close to overkill.&nbsp; I know.<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My friends suggestion was something similar to what she does.&nbsp; She's not only a great runner, but she is also a smart runner so I was happy to listen.&nbsp; Here's what her warmup looks like: walking, a light jog, a "break&nbsp;a sweat" jog and THEN beginning the running workout.&nbsp; She said that this keeps her from warming up too fast or not enough which can lead to labored breathing throughout her workout.&nbsp; Interesting.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9616014304/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Steve is traveling so I'm stuck on the treadmill. Today was my easy day so I tried warming up how @soultrain21 suggested. What a difference! She's a super smart runner. by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Steve is traveling so I'm stuck on the treadmill. Today was my easy day so I tried warming up how @soultrain21 suggested. What a difference! She's a super smart runner. " height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/9616014304_9c807c288d_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Yesterday was my easy day so I tried this strategy.&nbsp; I walked 5 minutes, jogged 4 minutes, jogged a little faster for 3 minutes and then began running.&nbsp; Not only was my easy pace faster but my breathing was great the entire time.&nbsp; I didn't have that "first mile is the toughest" feeling and I finished the workout feeling great.&nbsp; I'm a believer!</div><br />Did it take a little longer to warm up?&nbsp; Yes.&nbsp; But did I have a better run?&nbsp; Yep.&nbsp; So I've come to realize that reasonably pushing&nbsp;myself after a good warm up is OK and a good thing when I have a tempo run or speedwork assigned for that day's workout.<br /><br />Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest differences.http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/08/improving-as-runner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-4684610567630209396Fri, 23 Aug 2013 13:00:00 +00002013-08-23T08:39:18.831-07:00Not for the faint of heart<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9558496053/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="It's a beautiful morning for a trail ride! It's almost &quot;cold&quot;. by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="It's a beautiful morning for a trail ride! It's almost &quot;cold&quot;. " height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/9558496053_cddacf5792_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>It all started out&nbsp;nice enough.&nbsp; Trail biking with Steve on a new trail that was <em>supposed</em> to be fairly easy, a beautiful morning, a good night's sleep the night before... what could possibly go wrong?<br /><br />If you're grossed out by road rash, scraped up legs and a little blood... look away.&nbsp; The trail we rode was not easy but rather it was super technical.&nbsp; I'm a decent bike rider but nothing to write home about.&nbsp; I tend to think I do better on two feet than I do on two wheels.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9558497015/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="As I sit here pouring hydrogen peroxide over my leg, I think now would be a good time to discuss why I do better with two feet compared to two wheels. #notacyclist #doesthiscountascrosstraining #motherrunner by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="As I sit here pouring hydrogen peroxide over my leg, I think now would be a good time to discuss why I do better with two feet compared to two wheels. #notacyclist #doesthiscountascrosstraining #motherrunner" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5455/9558497015_c2f75b3a56_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This confirms my theory.&nbsp; Not gonna lie, it hurt.&nbsp; But pouring hydrogen peroxide on my legs hurt even worse.&nbsp; I didn't cry but I came very close.&nbsp; I spent the rest of Saturday nursing my wounds and eating sushi.<br /><br />Sunday was long run day with 8 miles on the schedule.&nbsp; I was definitely sore but I did fine.&nbsp; I got home, showered and Steve decided I needed to get back on the bike after wiping out so bad the day before.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9561286186/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Got back on the proverbial bike after yesterday's wipeout. Today was great and yes, I'm super tired after running 8 miles this am. Happy Sunday! #motherrunner #imightbe abikepersonafterall by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Got back on the proverbial bike after yesterday's wipeout. Today was great and yes, I'm super tired after running 8 miles this am. Happy Sunday! #motherrunner #imightbe abikepersonafterall" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/9561286186_9b533f9440_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We went to a different trail that was confirmed by a real person to be beginner friendly and thankfully that's exactly what it was!&nbsp; It was still a blast too.&nbsp; I'm glad he convinced me to give it another go.<br /><br /><u>My totals for the day:</u><br />8 mile long run<br />7.35 mile trail ride<br />Approx 1300 calories burned<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9561290782/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="This is happening. Stuffed hatch chiles wrapped in bacon! by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="This is happening. Stuffed hatch chiles wrapped in bacon!" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/9561290782_f52e7d6df3_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We celebrated by making chicken stuffed hatch chiles wrapped in bacon.&nbsp; Amazing and totally worth the calories burned earlier in the day.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9558498265/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="I normally hate rest days but today I think it's a pretty good idea. #motherrunner #ouch #sorelegs #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="I normally hate rest days but today I think it's a pretty good idea. #motherrunner #ouch #sorelegs #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7450/9558498265_f6d58ba471_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Monday was a rest day and while I usually dislike rest days, this one was quite welcome. :)<br /><br />All in all, it was a good experience.&nbsp; I still love trail riding mostly because I get to spend quality time with Steve but also for the challenge.&nbsp; The key is just to stay upright so you don't have to explain your road rash a million times. ;)http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/08/not-for-faint-of-heart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-5220898120390650884Wed, 21 Aug 2013 13:00:00 +00002013-08-21T06:00:12.381-07:00I Won!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9558406709/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Stress test take 2. I'm going to win! #motherrunner #winning by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Stress test take 2. I'm going to win! #motherrunner #winning" height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3811/9558406709_da16271282_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the test&nbsp;and slightly nervous...</td></tr></tbody></table><br />No, not a race.&nbsp; But I did "win" my stress test.&nbsp; I'm super competitive so even though you can't technically win a stress test, I'm telling myself that I did.&nbsp; Because I can. :)<br /><br />I&nbsp;arrived in my running shoes and clothes.&nbsp; They took my vitals and my resting heart rate got an audible sigh from the nurse.&nbsp; It was 45.&nbsp; I couldn't believe it!&nbsp; I was not in good shape when I started running last November and while I'm not anywhere near fast, I'm healthier and that makes me happy.<br /><br />The&nbsp;technician's response: <em>I'm glad you wore running shoes because you are going to have to run.</em><br /><em></em><br />For my age my max HR is 180.&nbsp; 45 to 180?&nbsp; That could be a problem.&nbsp; After 25 minutes running on an increasing incline the tech settled for 80% of my max.&nbsp; I'm glad he made me run though because he&nbsp;explained that they used to let athletes slide knowing their HR wasn't going to max out but that also missed identifying heart conditions in otherwise healthy athletes.<br /><br />They also did a resting EKG, an ultrasound and something else that showed the blood flow.&nbsp; Pretty cool!&nbsp; They repeated the same tests right after the stress test to see what things looked like when my heart was working hard.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9558407845/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Me: 1 Stress test: 0. The only thing that showed up was a murmur but nothing to be concerned with. I am officially free to run all the marathons I would like although my Dr. suggested getting my head checked for wanting to run so far LOL. #motherrunner by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Me: 1 Stress test: 0. The only thing that showed up was a murmur but nothing to be concerned with. I am officially free to run all the marathons I would like although my Dr. suggested getting my head checked for wanting to run so far LOL. #motherrunner" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5472/9558407845_3fc8bc2116_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After and much more relaxed...</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The good news: my heart murmur behaves exactly the same at rest as it does when my heart is taxed.&nbsp; There were no blood flow issues, leaky valves, etc.&nbsp; My cardiologist (who I love, BTW) told me I was free to run all the marathons I wanted to although I might want to get my head checked for wanting to run that far for fun.&nbsp; Funny guy!<br /><br />My chest pain was anxiety related so his "prescription": watch my caffeine intake, limit my stress, and manage my anxiety.&nbsp; He doesn't realize that those three things fuel my work days so thank goodness for running!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9558411163/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="New laces, new socks and my favorite route... all were great. The weather was perfect and it made me so ready for fall! #motherrunner #mizunorunning #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="New laces, new socks and my favorite route... all were great. The weather was perfect and it made me so ready for fall! #motherrunner #mizunorunning #marathontraining #halfmarathontraining" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7423/9558411163_fd65f7132f_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />So I'm definitely out of my running funk and back to running without anxiety.&nbsp;&nbsp; I also went trail biking with Steve this past weekend and have the war wounds to prove it... more on that later.http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/08/i-won.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-4989766841028675039Wed, 14 Aug 2013 16:21:00 +00002013-08-14T09:21:43.097-07:00Funky<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9511452264/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Slept in this morning so it was the treadmill for today's run. I didn't want to run but as always, I'm glad I did. 9/#55milesinjuly #motherrunner #mizunorunning by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Slept in this morning so it was the treadmill for today's run. I didn't want to run but as always, I'm glad I did. 9/#55milesinjuly #motherrunner #mizunorunning" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/9511452264_b8dbc76e52_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've been in a little bit of a running funk lately.&nbsp; I've gotten some miles in here and there but we've had other things going on... like painting and redecorating Chaney's entire room.&nbsp; We have also been trying to squeeze the best out of that last little bit of summer left before school starts.&nbsp; So not only am I in a running funk but I'm also a little sad that summer is nearly over.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9508660363/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="OK, IKEA... I take back everything bad that I said about you. by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="OK, IKEA... I take back everything bad that I said about you. " height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/9508660363_bd94dc7bf4_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Yes, I love the routine of the school year but along with that comes endless to-do lists, school drama to talk through after school, violin lessons and everything else that comes with being a 4th grader.&nbsp; All of this also means that I have to really structure my mornings to fit my workouts and runs in.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>The last little bit of my funk has to do with my anxiety attack/ER trip several weeks back.&nbsp; I followed up with a cardiologist last week and he found a heart murmur.&nbsp; Weird.&nbsp; I'm new to all this terminology but hopefully I'll learn a lot more today when I go for my stress test.&nbsp; <br /><br />Goal #1 today: win the test.&nbsp; Competitive much?? ;)<br /><br />But really, my biggest priority is getting some peace of mind and some assurance that I'm healthy.&nbsp; Because honestly that has put a bit of a damper on my running enthusiasm lately.&nbsp; I certainly don't feel unhealthy but I don't like words like "hear murmur"... "irregular rhythm"... "missing EKG&nbsp;peaks" either.<br /><br />So that's where I'll be this afternoon.&nbsp; Thankfully the cardiologist reviews the results with me today so there is no more waiting.&nbsp; From there I hope to proceed directly out of my funk. http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/08/funky.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-1731564649255828665Tue, 06 Aug 2013 15:22:00 +00002013-08-06T08:22:00.652-07:00Training Tuesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9443069419/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="344" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/9443069419_53b248b293_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've had a hard time settling on a training plan.&nbsp; So many of them are similar but at the same time many of them are very one-size-fits-all.&nbsp; The 10K Runner app that I started with was great because it had no focus on miles or pace; just time spent running vs. walking.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">But ever since I completed that program, I've been following a mash-up of plans which was beginning to drive me crazy.&nbsp; I read <em>Run Less, Run Faster</em> and I really like the philosophy behind the training plan.&nbsp; It even went as far as to tell you pace/time/miles to train at based on your last race.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">That part I liked... what I didn't like was how cumbersome managing the actual plan was.&nbsp; I was constantly looking up my next workout, then forgetting it, looking it up again at 5 am.&nbsp; And then as my times improved, I had to find the new corresponding workouts based on my improvements.&nbsp; I know... first world runner problems.</div><br />Did I mention that I signed up for the Cowtown Marathon for this coming February?&nbsp; I did and I'm so excited!&nbsp; When I paid I was offered a customized training plan through Run Coach for a flat $20 which is a steal.<br /><br />All I did was log in, create a profile, enter my recent race times and it put together a plan specifically for me.&nbsp; The cool part... as I record my times and miles and they improve, the rest of the training plan automatically adjusts to my new training levels.&nbsp; I get a weekly email and then I get an email the night before my next running workout telling me exactly what I'm supposed to do.&nbsp; Worst case, I can just look on my phone while I'm out if I forget how many 400's, etc to run.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9445856748/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/9445856748_e32f210b40_z.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>This all might seem a little lazy but oh well.&nbsp; I'm busy and it's one less hurdle I have to jump to get out the door and actually run.&nbsp; It also syncs with Nike+ which is the watch I use.<br /><br />Training up for the week:<br />Monday - long run of 6 miles {I missed it on Sunday}<br />Tuesday - rest<br />Wednesday - tempo run {.50 warm up, 7 drills, 3 strides, 5:00 at tempo pace then jog 3:00 x 3, .50 cool down.<br />Thursday - cross train<br />Friday - tempo run {same warm up &amp; drills, 1:00 hard/1:00 jog x 6, .50 cool down}<br />Saturday - cross train<br /><br />I missed my long run on Sunday and the schedule automatically updated, dropped a cross training day in favor of keeping the long run which is more important.&nbsp; Pretty cool. :)http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/08/training-tuesday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-4508877584590090739Sun, 04 Aug 2013 20:06:00 +00002013-08-05T12:27:49.168-07:00Pain<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9439240296/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5445/9439240296_234e2762bf_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took this picture while hiking around Multnomah Falls when we were in OR for the RNR half.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This post has nothing to do with running and everything to do with running.&nbsp; <br /><br />Stick with me.&nbsp; <br /><br />Pain is no stranger to those of us who run up and down hills, on concrete, rocky trails, in the sticky heat and in the freezing cold.&nbsp; I'm pretty sure that if you finish a hard run and nothing hurts then you're doing it wrong.<br /><br />But what happens when you avoid pain?&nbsp; Not a lot.&nbsp; You aren't pushing yourself.&nbsp; You're not growing.&nbsp; You're not getting stronger for sure.&nbsp; But it is demanding and it won't go&nbsp;away no matter how deep you bury it; it just doesn't work that way.&nbsp; This applies in life just as well as it applies to running.<br /><br />I think I'm pretty safe in saying that for the last 10 years I've avoided as much pain as possible.&nbsp; Sure, it's bubbled up to the surface here and there but I've buried it more than I've embraced it or even slowed down or stopped to feel it.&nbsp; What happens when I do this?&nbsp; Scar tissue piles&nbsp;on top of scars that lay on top of pain.&nbsp; <br /><br />When I tore my shoulder up and had to have surgery I spent 3 months with my shoulder immobilized to let the extensive repairs heal.&nbsp; When I came out of the sling I had zero range of motion.&nbsp; My physical therapists and orthopedic surgeon had never seen so much scar tissue develop so fast.&nbsp; I had a scar tissue problem that eventually required a second surgery to manipulate my shoulder to break up the scar tissue and then clean it all out.&nbsp; Very aggressive physical therapy followed to keep scar tissue from developing again and it was extremely painful.&nbsp; It was miserable but I pushed through it and found a new normal for my shoulder.&nbsp; Not perfect, not painless but still in a good and functional place.<br /><br />I'm not going to say that I haven't grown at all as a person over the past 10 years because I have but I've danced around the pain part&nbsp;as much as possible.&nbsp; I had been hurt over and over and I was tired of the pain.&nbsp; I found a respite in the joy of having my daughter that was followed by meeting my now husband which has been a wonderful 7 years and counting.&nbsp; But despite my happiness I still had areas in my life&nbsp;full of scar tissue on top of buried pain&nbsp;where I remained stuck.<br /><br />And then I started running again.&nbsp; Running sucks sometimes; especially when you are starting all over.&nbsp; It's painful.&nbsp; Your toenails turn colors and sometimes fall off.&nbsp; There are blisters, sore muscles, and of course chafing.&nbsp; <br /><br />But I still put on my shoes time after time and here's where life and running intersect; old hurts have begun to emerge and for the first time I'm feeling the pain.&nbsp; I'm not burying it, I'm not ignoring it;&nbsp;rather I'm feeling it, learning from it and pushing through it.&nbsp;&nbsp;I learned how to do this by running.&nbsp; Running woke me up to my old friend pain and the fact that pain can be a good and even powerful catalyst for change.<br /><br />It's true, running changes a person.http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/08/pain.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-3654008478678954118Wed, 24 Jul 2013 21:49:00 +00002013-07-24T14:49:53.814-07:00Just when...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9362057512/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7371/9362057512_51fe1506e3_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">... you think things are going great there always seems to be something that pops up.&nbsp; This was my view Friday afternoon and yes, those are my cute shoes on a hospital bed.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I felt "off" from the get go that day but I just chalked it up to fatigue.&nbsp; But then I was sitting in a client meeting that afternoon and it started to feel like an elephant was sitting on my chest.&nbsp; I had chest pain and soon it was spreading to my shoulders and neck.&nbsp; </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I finished the meeting and got some water.&nbsp; I sat back down at my desk, drank my water and Googled <em>chest pain spreading to shoulders and neck.</em>&nbsp; I didn't even have to open a single link; every preview on Google told me to go straight to the ER.&nbsp; So off I went with a co-worker who gladly drove me and stayed with me.&nbsp; I work with some pretty awesome people. :)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9359263519/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="373" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2880/9359263519_93720a6b8b_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's amazing how short your wait is when you walk into an ER and tell them you are having chest pain; it was either than or my new haircut that I got for the occasion.&nbsp; I had exactly enough time to write my name and birthday.&nbsp; By then they were taking me back to start an EKG.&nbsp; Fortunately my EKG looked great.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The pain was not subsiding so next was a blood draw, a chest x-ray, morphine, and a CT scan to check for a blood clot.&nbsp; Nothing showed up thankfully.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Diagnosis: atypical chest pain/severe anxiety.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have a follow up with a cardiologist next week for a stress test and I can't help but wonder if you can&nbsp;win a stress test since you're running?&nbsp; That's my goal... win the stress test! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9362043002/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/9362043002_ae49841312_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>The ER doctor told me to take it easy and I did that for exactly one day.&nbsp; I ran a few miles on Sunday and was back to riding my bike on trails with Steve on Monday evening.&nbsp; Not doing something physical is no longer an option for me... especially since it's one of the things that helps to minimize my anxiety.<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So while this event scared me and even made me wonder how I could be possibly have a heart issue given all my running, I felt more confident knowing I would be OK because I <em>have </em>been taking good care of myself.&nbsp; That's a good feeling because 6 months ago I would have felt very different and would have second guessed my health the entire time while waiting for the test results in the ER.</div>http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/07/just-when.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-9042704078002532548Fri, 19 Jul 2013 07:30:00 +00002013-07-19T00:30:02.994-07:00Run Faster...<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9311248124/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5534/9311248124_c1d7d64c51_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm convinced the right nail polish color makes you faster...</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">... Run Farther.&nbsp; This is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/159486649X" target="_blank">book</a> I'm following to build a good base leading up to my half marathon training.&nbsp; I'll be using the same&nbsp;book for that training as well.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I'm slow.&nbsp; There's no way around that.&nbsp; And while I'm OK with that, I'm not OK with that long term.&nbsp; So this week I picked up with week 8 of the novice 5k plan in the book: </div><ul><li>Walk 10 minutes</li><li>Run 1 mile</li><li>Walk 5 minutes</li><li>Run 6 minutes, walk 1 minute X 3</li><li>Walk 10 minutes</li></ul>This has been a pride check for sure because I can run 8 slooowwww miles with no issues.&nbsp; But they are slow miles if you didn't catch that previously. ;)<br /><br />My theory is that if I run the running segments at a faster pace than I'm used to, with walking mixed in, it shouldn't be too much of a shock to my body.&nbsp;&nbsp;Plus, I'm the type that fears running out of gas on a run but if I know I have a walk break here and there, I won't be as afraid to push it.&nbsp; Am I correct in my thinking?&nbsp; I think so but I don't know for sure.&nbsp; But that's what I'm hoping.<br /><br />I'm not crazy about watching my weekly mileage drop but I feel that this approach will yield better results long term.<br /><br />I'll complete the novice 5k plan just in time to start the novice half marathon training plan and the two plans seem to be&nbsp;a continuation of the other.<br /><br />I'm also mixing in hill repeats once a week because they suck.&nbsp; That makes perfect sense...<br /><br />Overall, I'm feeling great.&nbsp; I don't have those nagging pains I had when I started running.&nbsp; My legs feel strong and my confidence is increasing.&nbsp; I still have moments of self doubt where that little voice starts saying, <em>I can't do this.&nbsp; </em>Six months ago I would have agreed with that voice but today my response is, <em>I'm not just running... I'm training</em>.&nbsp; For whatever reason, repeating that when I start to doubt helps me push through.http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/07/run-faster.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-2094416421696238285Wed, 17 Jul 2013 18:43:00 +00002013-07-17T11:43:58.321-07:00Trails & Life<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9307096139/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7422/9307096139_a3f795905d_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's been a busy few weeks around here!&nbsp; I'm still running lots and I've added another weapon to my fitness arsenal: a bike.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>Steve took up cycling and I started thinking that I could do that too.&nbsp; I've been reading "Run Less, Run Faster" and one of the things they emphasize is cross training via bike, swimming, or rowing.<br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My bad&nbsp;shoulder is not very agreeable to swimming, we don't have a rowing machine, so the bike it is!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9307098549/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5521/9307098549_35ff0a3bb5_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Plus it gives Chaney and me a chance to ride bikes together.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9307097313/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/9307097313_34a30f11c5_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">And witness this awesomeness...</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here's how my week looks:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Monday - Rest</div>Tuesday - Bike/weights {upper body &amp; core}<br />Wednesday - Run<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thursday - Bike/weights {lower body &amp; core}</div>Friday - Run<br />Saturday - Bike on trails<br />Sunday - Long run<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9307098983/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/9307098983_c4a3806636_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Saturday is actually optional but I went trail riding with Steve a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved it!&nbsp; It was a nice break from the monotony I can feel while running.&nbsp; On the trails, you have to pay attention, think, and anticipate.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A few thoughts about trail riding... it's not easy, you can get hurt {my knee/leg are proof}, there is nature to contend with {snakes!} and you have to have a lot of trust in the person in front of you if they are leading.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And trust is a big one for me.&nbsp; Because of things in the past, I'm not the most trusting person in the world.&nbsp; But as I rode and followed Steve, I began to get more comfortable.&nbsp; He didn't take me on trails that were too hard for me to make himself look better.&nbsp; He looked out for me and helped me along the way.&nbsp; He never got frustrated if I fell&nbsp;or slowed down.&nbsp; Pretty much the exact opposite of what would have happened in my previous marriage.&nbsp; As I realized these things, my nervousness about the experience began to melt away and that is a wonderful feeling.&nbsp; Being with someone who wants to keep me safe makes trusting a whole lot easier.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9309880370/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/9309880370_8b707e1012_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So after my first trail experinence I knew I wanted to run on trails as well.&nbsp; I found some Saucony Kinvara TR shoes at a great price and bought them.&nbsp; I got to try them out while we were on vacation since the resort had a beautiful running trail.&nbsp; It was a wonderful way to start each day!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Back to the shoes... they are great shoes!&nbsp; They fit well and I don't feel every rock I step on.&nbsp; I'm also going to wear them when I bike as I have no desire to clip in.&nbsp; That just seems dangerous. ;)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9309879124/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/9309879124_23b00c6857_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>As far as my regular running goes, I'm working on building a good base while adding some speed and hills into the mix.&nbsp; My half marathon training officially starts on August 26th and I want to be ready to tackle that training plan.&nbsp; Hopefully it will be slightly cooler by then too...http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/07/trails-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-822025425016394108Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:02:00 +00002013-06-26T12:02:50.455-07:00meatless taco saladovernight oatsrecipesalad in a jarLately & Recipes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9142283023/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/9142283023_9aa1382ab3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">... I've been running on the treadmill.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">It's hot here in Texas.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9144507136/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7333/9144507136_4280d49928_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">...and the treadmill is also kinder to my feet as I work out my achilles issues.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9144508274/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/9144508274_48597f06c5_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">I've also been a tad obsessed with Mason jars.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9143604053/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/9143604053_69b96c8a6d_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I really like the idea of taking salad for lunch all in one air-tight container without it turning into a soggy mess.&nbsp; </div><br />And then there's the overnight oats which is really just a fancy name for cold oatmeal which I'm loving this summer since I usually&nbsp;work out in the morning and the last thing I want after taking a shower and putting on a suit is something hot to eat on my way to work.<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>I'm not much of a recipe person but here are the "recipes" (more like instructions) for the oatmeal and salad:<br /><br /><strong>Overnight Oats:</strong><br /><br />1/2 cup of oats (not the instant kind)<br />1/2 cup of Greek yogurt<br />1/2 cup of almond milk, soy milk, or regular milk<br />Small spoonful of a nut butter if you want - I used Justin's Maple Almond Butter<br />Any kind of fruit - I used blackberries<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Mix the ingredients in&nbsp;the jar, put the lid on and refrigerate overnight.&nbsp; In the morning you have breakfast ready and waiting.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Meatless Taco Salad:</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 can of black beans</div>1 can of corn<br />Salsa<br />1 red pepper (diced)<br />1 yellow pepper (diced)<br />Mixed greens<br />Avocado (chopped)<br />1 tsp of shredded cheese if you like<br />2 tortilla chips<br /><br />Mix your black beans, corn,&nbsp;diced peppers&nbsp;and 1/3 cup of salsa together*.&nbsp; This will be the dressing for your salad.&nbsp; Put this mixture in the very bottom of the jar.&nbsp; I did this step the night before, put the lid on the jar, and refrigerated it.<br /><br />The next morning:&nbsp; layer your avocado on top of your black bean mixture.&nbsp; Follow with your mixed greens (this was by far the largest serving in the jar).&nbsp; Add your shredded cheese and crumble your tortilla chips on top.&nbsp; Close your jar and refrigerate until lunch.&nbsp;When you are ready to eat just shake the jar and your lunch is ready.<br /><br />*The black bean mixture made enough for 3 lunches plus some extra that we ate as salsa with dinner the next night.<br /><br />Enjoy!http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/06/lately-recipes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-7784566179641867564Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:56:00 +00002013-06-18T09:56:56.731-07:00EnablingIt's ridiculous how fast you can&nbsp;develop an obsession with running clothes, shoes, and gear when you run!&nbsp; <br /><br />I stumbled across <a href="http://www.ellie.com/invites/Nzg0NTM=" target="_blank">Ellie</a> several month ago when I read&nbsp;about them&nbsp;on another blog.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instantly,&nbsp;I really love their concept.&nbsp; You join for free&nbsp;and you get two pieces {tights, top, shorts, skirt, tank, etc...} each month for $50 + free shipping.&nbsp; You can mix and match any way that you would like. &nbsp;Most pieces retail for more than $50&nbsp;per item&nbsp;so I love getting such a great deal.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vYcu_v6mgbM/UcCQAdX7vCI/AAAAAAAAEWc/CFHxYRlGxHo/s1600/1ell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vYcu_v6mgbM/UcCQAdX7vCI/AAAAAAAAEWc/CFHxYRlGxHo/s400/1ell.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">This month I got this awesome skirt and top.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p2lfE7nFOyI/UcCQEaW0jeI/AAAAAAAAEWk/Lscw2F6WTSs/s1600/2el.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p2lfE7nFOyI/UcCQEaW0jeI/AAAAAAAAEWk/Lscw2F6WTSs/s400/2el.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Everything is high quality and the designs are very unique.&nbsp; The skirt is typically $54.95 and the tank is typically $44.95.&nbsp; So $99.90 worth of clothes for $50.00.&nbsp; Score!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I not crazy about paying full price for something I'm going to sweat in even if I know I'm getting good quality so this is concept is&nbsp;perfect for me.&nbsp; I've picked up a lot of staples for my running wardrobe through Ellie so I just had to share.&nbsp; I figure it's my duty to enable other runners and their shopping habits... ;)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So go take a <a href="http://www.ellie.com/invites/Nzg0NTM=" target="_blank">look</a>!&nbsp; As you can see, they also have a pretty cool loyalty program which is another awesome perk!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Enabling over. ;)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/06/enabling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-1107697472585168305Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:10:00 +00002013-06-14T11:10:09.635-07:00An ounce of prevention<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9042160351/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="A soggy 8.5 miles... favorite song on my run... I have really high arches. #motherrunner #56milesinjune #mizunorunning by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="A soggy 8.5 miles... favorite song on my run... I have really high arches. #motherrunner #56milesinjune #mizunorunning" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/9042160351_1c567d111c_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">summary of last Sunday's run</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A few weeks ago I started having a familiar pain in the ball of my right foot (my good foot).&nbsp; Familiar because it was around my sesamoid bones and one of those bones in my left foot&nbsp;is what caused my nightmare foot injury and&nbsp;surgery several years ago.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I read online and did some self diagnosis and decided that my high arches were to blame.&nbsp; I visited my local running store and left with insoles which I had been considering anyways.&nbsp; And these are really cool, BTW... you can put them in the oven so they mold to your feet in an almost custom way.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/9044379978/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="I didn't cook dinner tonight (Steve did)... but I did cook my new insoles. #motherrunner by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="I didn't cook dinner tonight (Steve did)... but I did cook my new insoles. #motherrunner" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/9044379978_4322d9be28_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>Despite my&nbsp;expert self diagnosis,&nbsp;new insoles,&nbsp;resting, and icing, last week it was hurting more and more even when I wasn't running or walking.&nbsp; Considering that I just registered with a friend&nbsp;for the Vegas RNR half in November, I was sick even thinking that I might have injured the same bone(s) in the opposite foot.<br /><br />But instead of ignoring the pain like I did last time I did the responsible thing and made an appointment to see a foot &amp; ankle doctor.&nbsp; I went yesterday and the great news after x-rays was that nothing was broken. :)&nbsp; The doctor's bigger concern was why I would be having these kinds of foot problems at my age so he started moving my feet and ankles around.<br /><br />"Impressive" was his response when he was testing my Achilles strength.&nbsp; But just when I was getting all proud of myself he shot me down with, "do you know how extremely tight your Achilles are?".&nbsp; <br /><br />I didn't... I have never even had a thought about Achilles tightness when I&nbsp;have been&nbsp;running.&nbsp; He equated the extreme tightness to running in high heels which suddenly made the ball of the foot pain make lots of sense.<br /><br />Thankfully I haven't developed any sort of tendonitis in either Achilles so he simply wrote me a referral to a physical therapist who will be able to show me how to stretch so I can stop running in high heels. It will only take me 3-5 visits to get the stretching down and from there he said I should notice a major difference in my running as well as a disappearance of my foot pain and some of the other "little" pains I have while running.<br /><br />I don't think I've ever been to PT <em>prior</em> to having an injury so this will be something new for me.&nbsp; But this is definitely a welcome change and this preventative mindset just might be something I stick with... ;)http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/06/an-ounce-of-prevention.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-2947766868311882123Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:24:00 +00002013-06-06T09:24:30.539-07:00Chi Running and other random thoughts...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8951721129/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="2 quick miles on the treadmill before dinner. I'm really liking this Chi Running technique... book is by Danny Dreyer. #motherrunner #chirunning by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="2 quick miles on the treadmill before dinner. I'm really liking this Chi Running technique... book is by Danny Dreyer. #motherrunner #chirunning" height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3800/8951721129_b0ee693326_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I started reading <em>Chi Running </em>by Danny Dreyer<em>&nbsp;</em>about a week ago.&nbsp; I'd seen references made to the book and I was curious.&nbsp; It turns out that it's a very interesting and helpful book.&nbsp; Especially for those of us who are <strong>not</strong> naturally gifted runners.&nbsp; </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The short story is that the running form and technique is very similar to some of the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners who win almost all the big races.&nbsp; They run very efficiently and a book that teaches that piqued my interest... especially the part about reducing running injuries.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In the 6-7 months since I've started running again I've remained virtually injury free other than the odd pains, cramps, and soreness.&nbsp; I'm pretty sure some of that can be attributed to starting off with a run/walk program.&nbsp; So now that I'm running my miles, I feel like I need all the help I can get to stay injury free.&nbsp; My next half isn't until November so I figure this gives me a decent amount of time to continue to build my base mileage, speed,&nbsp;and work on my form.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So far, I don't have a ton to say about Chi running other than the fact that I like it and it makes sense to me.&nbsp; Time will tell how it works for me as I practice it more.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I tried a pair of Saucony Kinvaras with a negative heel drop and initially they seemed great but now they aren't agreeing with me.&nbsp; So I've stocked up on my favorites... Mizuno Wave Rider 15's and these three pairs should last me awhile.&nbsp; I'll still think about rotating the Kinvaras in to see if I can get used to them but only in short distances after 6 miles this past Sunday left me with ridiculously sore calves.</div><br />On running... it's nice not training for anything specific.&nbsp; It seems to take the pressure off of wanting to have every run go perfectly because they aren't all going to be perfect: case in point, my HM in May.<br /><br />And I'll be honest, that half really hit my self confidence.&nbsp; I pretended that I was OK with the outcome but it still really bothered me to have worked so hard only to have leg cramps hinder me.&nbsp; But that's the thing about running; nothing is ever perfect and for those of us who are perfectionists, that can be difficult.<br /><br />Perfectionism is something I think about all the time.&nbsp; I want to do everything perfectly.&nbsp; I don't like that about myself and it's a constant struggle for me.&nbsp; So maybe running is a good idea for me because nothing comes easy when you are starting from scratch and nothing is perfect.&nbsp; I don't like that I'm still a slow runner... that's certainly not perfect.&nbsp; But instead of hating that about my athletic self, I'm working on embracing it and using it&nbsp;as a challenge and a way to measure improvements from my hard work.<br /><br />I'm not good at doing this all the time but it is something I am more mindful of...http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/06/chi-running-and-other-random-thoughts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-628938150311896944Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:13:00 +00002013-06-04T13:13:53.020-07:00Portland RNR Half Marathon<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8952053532/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Finished! Stretched, showered, food, stretched some more and now it's time for a nap. Congrats to @soultrain21 @knittybitties and @twomoreseconds who ran today too! by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Finished! Stretched, showered, food, stretched some more and now it's time for a nap. Congrats to @soultrain21 @knittybitties and @twomoreseconds who ran today too!" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/8952053532_cc7711714d_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I can't believe it's been two weeks since I ran my first half.&nbsp; I'm glad this trip was a vacation for us because we came back to lots of end-of-school activities and projects and just an overall busy time of year.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8950853179/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="One last run. 97% humidity? No thanks! PDX here I come! by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="One last run. 97% humidity? No thanks! PDX here I come!" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8127/8950853179_0d52aaf076_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We had a wonderful time in Portland!&nbsp; We went with friends; my friend and I ran while our husbands cheered us on.&nbsp; My last run was Friday morning before&nbsp;we left and it was a balmy 73 degrees with&nbsp;97% &nbsp;humidity.&nbsp; Yuck.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8950858399/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="More Portland... I'll be running a half marathon down there tomorrow morning! by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="More Portland... I'll be running a half marathon down there tomorrow morning!" height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3792/8950858399_305ff0fe4d_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Portland is absolutely beautiful.&nbsp; Now I love Texas but I will freely admit that there are prettier places on earth and the PNW is definitely one of those places.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8952047408/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Oregon is absolutely beautiful! by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Oregon is absolutely beautiful!" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5342/8952047408_b026132503_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After we went to the expo on Saturday, we decided to rent a car and head up to the falls.&nbsp; I've never seen anything like this.&nbsp; The pictures don't come close to doing the scenery justice.&nbsp; We hiked some and ate lunch and then headed back to Portland.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8952051530/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="I think I'm ready. Now if I can just get some sleep... #motherrunner #halfmarathon by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="I think I'm ready. Now if I can just get some sleep... #motherrunner #halfmarathon" height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3819/8952051530_38f2968618_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We found an Italian restraunt and had pasta for dinner and then headed back to the hotel where my type-A OCD took over.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8952493032/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/8952493032_08f86a603a_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>The weather the next morning was perfect for running.&nbsp; Cool, a little overcast, and no rain.&nbsp; I ate a banana and warmed up a little.&nbsp; After standing in the port-o-potty line it was time to line up in my corral and we were off!<br /><br />My target finish time was 3:05.&nbsp; Yes, that's slow but I was good with that because I knew where I had come from in just 6 months before and I was/am proud of my progress. :)<br /><br />Miles 1-6 were great.&nbsp; I was even ahead of my 5 mile goal and I felt great.&nbsp; Mile 7 started the hills.&nbsp; Unfortunately, I cramped up in the middle of mile 7 and it was bad.&nbsp; I've never had muscle cramps during an athletic event and I may have even secretly rolled my eyes at those guys who collapse dramatically on the basketball court with cramps.&nbsp; <br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>I get it now.&nbsp; Leg cramps suck.&nbsp; <br /><br />I stopped and stretched and got the cramp somewhat under control.&nbsp; I started to run again, still uphill and the cramp came back.&nbsp; I stopped again, stretched and decided to walk for 2 minutes.&nbsp; This kind of cycle repeated itself through mile 11 where the hills finally leveled off.&nbsp; But then the downhills started and those weren't much better.<br /><br />At mile 12, there was one last giant hill and by that point I had to walk up it.&nbsp; I had my phone and texted Steve and told him what had happened but I was making it through OK.&nbsp; I put my phone away and started running down the hill and didn't stop again.&nbsp; I hurt, I was frustrated, and it was killing my competitive self to know that I was not having the race I wanted to but I kept going.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I crossed the line at 3:10:38.&nbsp; NOT what I wanted to see on my watch but I tried to focus on the positives like the face that I didn't quit even when I really wanted to.&nbsp; I also enjoyed the first 6 miles, the race atmosphere, and the organization of the race.&nbsp; Looking back at my splits pre-cramp, I was on pace for 2:55 so that makes me feel a little better knowing that I was doing really well&nbsp;before my meltdown.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've found that it's&nbsp;all about looking for the positives when you are on a journey to get healthier so that is what I do my best to focus on. :)</div><br />After the race, we went back to the hotel, showered, ate, and took a nap.&nbsp; Once we woke up we headed to the coast which once again didn't disappoint in the scenery department.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8952055920/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Love this guy! And I'm still in awe of how pretty Oregon is... by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Love this guy! And I'm still in awe of how pretty Oregon is..." height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/8952055920_69eae2094c_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Steve loves the beach.&nbsp; He also found a little piece of heaven in a salt water taffy store.&nbsp; We ate dinner and headed back to the city.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8952057844/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Longest line for donuts I've ever seen... by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Longest line for donuts I've ever seen..." height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3723/8952057844_d088ae401b_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We had a few things to cross off our list before&nbsp;leaving and Voodoo Doughnuts was on the list.&nbsp; The line was out the door... no matter what time of day.&nbsp; We gladly waited and walked away with a box of doughnuts that included maple bacon, butterfinger, oreo, captain crunch, and other crazy toppings.&nbsp; We had a few drinks and ended up back at the hotel with the guys downing doughnuts in the parking garage.&nbsp; You probably had to be there but it was pretty darn funny... ;)</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Race details:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- Portland Rock 'n Roll Half marathon</div>- Very organized<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- Wave starts that actually worked</div>- Great course support - water, gatorade, gu, and of course bands at nearly every mile<br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Will I run another half with the RNR series?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8952060732/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="@soultrain21 and I were content to run San Antonio until our guys talked us into Vegas . Let the #stripatnight training begin! by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="@soultrain21 and I were content to run San Antonio until our guys talked us into Vegas . Let the #stripatnight training begin!" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8270/8952060732_b3545de31c_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>Um... yeah!&nbsp; My friend and I "talked" each other into this one and our husbands are thrilled to tag along to cheer us on in Vegas.&nbsp; <br /><br />So for now I'm back to focusing on the same things I've been focusing on: eating healthy, exercising, and taking care of myself.&nbsp; I still want to get faster and I'll have plenty of time to do that among other things between now and November.<br /><br />I've been reading <em>Chi Running </em>and I'll share my thoughts on that in an upcoming post...http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/06/portland-rnr-half-marathon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-5918559420187099690Mon, 13 May 2013 15:37:00 +00002013-05-13T08:39:33.207-07:00Last long run...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8734668155/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/8734668155_a0e0b84a8b_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yes, I really do have tiny feet!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Next Sunday is my half marathon in Portland!&nbsp; I had 10 miles to do and I was determined to get them done at some point&nbsp;this weekend.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8735787042/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/8735787042_1c7e99e7d9_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>Friday night looked like this with an interesting grocery cart assortment.&nbsp; I was just excited that the grocery store has Cliff Shots!<br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I woke up Saturday morning and my right knee {my <em>better</em> bad knee} was aching badly.&nbsp; I learned my lesson running with Motrin in my stomach a few weeks ago so rather than subject my knee to 10 miles, I opted for the elliptical which was still a good workout.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So that left Sunday, Mother's Day, to get my 10 miles done.&nbsp; It was a little tough getting up early on a weekend day but it was nice to be back home before Chaney even woke up and of course the feeling of accomplishment so early in the day was nice too. :)&nbsp; I took some Motrin the night before, drank a lot of water and set my alarm.&nbsp; I was out the door by 6:40 am.&nbsp; I didn't eat; I just had Cliff Shot and a glass of water before I left.&nbsp; I'm really starting to think I run best on a pretty much empty stomach.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've mentioned before that we live in a great neighborhood for running.&nbsp; I headed to the trail first because it's my favorite.&nbsp; A .25 mile from where the trail ends are the hills.&nbsp; Big hills.&nbsp; I decided that I would tackle the hills and then make a loop back to the trail as my reward for making it through the hills.&nbsp; That loop is almost 5 miles which works out perfectly for 10 miles.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8735786588/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/8735786588_b44604e1ed_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm always tempted to run on the cart paths but I always resist...</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>I carried my Nathan water bottle {which I love, BTW}&nbsp;and one more Cliff Shot.&nbsp; It's only&nbsp;a 10 oz bottle but one of the bonuses for running around a golf course are the ice cold coolers at each hole.&nbsp; I'm sure the golfers didn't mind me re-filling once.<br /><br />The other bonus... the bathrooms on the golf course. :)<br /><br />I didn't see many people out running which was a little unusual.&nbsp; I did see a few people walking their dogs who had no intention of poop scooping until the saw me coming.&nbsp; Not. Cool.&nbsp; <br /><br />And a first, I got nipped at by a dog.&nbsp; A lady was walking two small dogs on long retractable leashes.&nbsp; I moved into the grass because she wasn't reeling them in.&nbsp; As I ran by one of them lunged and had I not picked&nbsp;up my heel high and to the side, it would have gotten me.&nbsp; I love dogs and I'm not scared of them.&nbsp; But&nbsp;if there are any that I'm leery of, it's small dogs because I'm pretty sure I've read that they are the most likely to bite.&nbsp; <br /><br />This was one of my best runs yet which leaves me feeling pretty good about the half next weekend.&nbsp; I'm still nervous and even dreamed about it all night but I guess that's pretty normal.<br /><br />And because it was Mother's Day, I came home to an omelet bar, fresh fruit, hashbrowns and mimosas.&nbsp; We had my husband's family over for brunch and it was wonderful.&nbsp; Steve is a great cook... I would run 10 miles every Sunday to come home to that but he already told me not to get spoiled!<br /><br />I hope all you moms had a wonderful Mother's Day!&nbsp; I know I did. :)&nbsp; http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/05/last-long-run.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-896677688612201640Fri, 10 May 2013 13:39:00 +00002013-05-10T06:39:30.500-07:00Good Distractions<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8725104221/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Left work early to get in a short run. I was headed to the track to do intervals but I got sidetracked by this pretty trail... by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Left work early to get in a short run. I was headed to the track to do intervals but I got sidetracked by this pretty trail... " height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7391/8725104221_455cbc734f_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>So yesterday I left work a little early with the plan to let Steve pick Chaney up while I went home to change quick and go for a run.&nbsp; Confession: I felt completely selfish doing this.<br /><br />I was supposed to run intervals yesterday and I do that at the jr. high track.&nbsp; It's a little over a mile away so I get my mile warm up running there and then I'm ready to go with the intervals.&nbsp; The mile back home... not as much fun.<br /><br />But then I got distracted with this beautiful trail.&nbsp; I love where we live; this trail runs throughout our neighborhood.&nbsp; However, I rarely run on it because there is no way in hell I'm running this in the dark.&nbsp; Have you watched the Walking Dead?&nbsp; There might be walkers in those trees... ;)<br /><br />I'm so glad I was a little spontaneous.&nbsp; I felt great when I got home and with all the structured training I've been following for my upcoming half, it was a nice break.<br /><br />And besides, don't my feet look happy??&nbsp; <br /><br />Today it was back to reality x-training on the elliptical and then tomorrow I have 10 miles; my last long run before the half!<br /><br />To all you moms, have a wonderful Mother's Day this weekend!http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/05/good-distractions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-3684908274056006969Wed, 08 May 2013 19:11:00 +00002013-05-08T12:11:52.425-07:00It's been awhile!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8721478564/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="New shoes!! I absolutely love them. I was a little nervous about the heel to toe offset but it actually feels great. #sauconyshoes by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="New shoes!! I absolutely love them. I was a little nervous about the heel to toe offset but it actually feels great. #sauconyshoes" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/8721478564_84d63a30e8_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New shoes to break in after Portland!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Have I stopped running?!?&nbsp; No way. :)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I got a job promotion so between traveling and training for that, just about all I've had time to do is hang out with my family, work, and train for my half marathon.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I know the health benefits for running are vast but the stress relief alone has made running completely worth it to me these past several months!</div><br />Curiosity finally got the best of me and I stepped on a scale.&nbsp; I'm down 30 lbs since I started running. :)&nbsp; It's still just a number to me but it's measurable and it does make me smile.&nbsp; I knew I had lost weight when I had to replace my work wardrobe but I honestly didn't think it would have been that much.&nbsp; <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8721480562/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="It's a new day! 4 easy miles run in the dark... that's a big deal for me. #motherrunner #notafraidofthedark #onlysawonewalker #walkingdead by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="It's a new day! 4 easy miles run in the dark... that's a big deal for me. #motherrunner #notafraidofthedark #onlysawonewalker #walkingdead" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/8721480562_30e8782e23_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good night/morning, moon...</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've gotten over my fear of running in the dark so I'm running in the mornings now and I absolutely love it.&nbsp; Running under the stars with no music while watching the sun come up is pretty much the best way to start my day.&nbsp; Plus my workout is done and I feel like I can accomplish anything that comes my way the rest of the day.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8721481214/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Heels &amp; Hills 10K this morning and then headed home to run 7 more miles to complete my long run. Unconventional, yes. But it's been a great confidence building day for me! #motherrunner #longrun #10K by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Heels &amp; Hills 10K this morning and then headed home to run 7 more miles to complete my long run. Unconventional, yes. But it's been a great confidence building day for me! #motherrunner #longrun #10K" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/8721481214_1172248153_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After my Cowtown 10k debacle... the race I ran with what turned out to be walking pneumonia... I decided I needed a do-over at the 10k distance before my half.&nbsp; I can be a bit of a headcase and so much of running is mental so a do-over was in order. :)&nbsp; I beat my previous time by almost 25 minutes so that gave me a lot of confidence going into my last few weeks of training for Portland.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8720353487/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="This guy comes out for every race I do. Love him! BTW, the 5k was great. by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="This guy comes out for every race I do. Love him! BTW, the 5k was great. " height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7315/8720353487_a0d9631e9a_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hair really isn't that red.&nbsp; But Steve's is.... ;)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I'm still a slow runner but I keep reminding myself that I've barely been back to running 6 months and 3 months of that was working (walking/running)&nbsp;up to running a solid 60 minutes straight.&nbsp; So when I look at it in those terms, I've come a long way... especially for someone who had reconstructive foot surgery and was told that running might never be possible again.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Now I'm not gonna lie, being slow still frustrates me so to combat that, I've come up with a plan.&nbsp; I'm a planner by nature so it's no surprise that I am finding encouragement in having a training plan that will lead to more improvements and finishing more races.&nbsp; Here goes...</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">San Antonio Rock &amp; Roll half&nbsp; - November 17, 2013</div><br />and....<br /><br />The Cowtown Marathon - February 23rd, 2014<br /><br />Yes, a full marathon.&nbsp; After my last one 10 years ago I was pretty sure I'd never do another one but after training injury-free for the Portland half, I've come to realize that I can listen to my body, not over-train, and actually succeed&nbsp;in preparing for a race.<br /><br />So that's what I've been up to...&nbsp; I'll try to be better about updating things around here now that my life seems to have slowed down a little bit. :)http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/05/its-been-awhile.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-4215427262077114589Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:08:00 +00002013-02-28T10:08:01.801-08:00What I Didn't DoYou know the times when you are the most stressed and you don't want to do anything, let alone run,&nbsp;but that's also probably the time you need to run the most?<br /><br />Yeah, that's where I'm at.&nbsp; I hate depression but it's a part of my life.&nbsp; Sometimes it's a gradual slipping and a slow crawl towards that dark hole.&nbsp; Other times, it hits me like a ton of bricks and leaves me wondering what I did wrong to end up in that hole.<br /><br />Stress is&nbsp;most often what causes the type of depression that crushes me overnight.&nbsp; It's probably the most confusing not only to me but also to those around me.&nbsp; I can look fine, go to bed fine,&nbsp;and wake up the next morning wondering what the point is to waking up.<br /><br />I wrote a little about my lack of self esteem earlier this week and I'm at one of those lows right now.&nbsp; I know it's never a good idea to count on others to build my self esteem but at the same time, it would be a lot more helpful to hear a few more positives and a few less negative opinions about how I do things.<br /><br />I know I'm not perfect... never have been and I never will be.&nbsp; But it's tough when the things I do wrong are quickly pointed out while other things that I bust my ass to do rarely mentioned.<br /><br />It's never anything major but the little things seem to add up to the general feeling that I just suck...<br /><ul><li><strong>You left&nbsp;some lights on in the house this morning</strong>... <em>yeah, I was trying to make it out the door, get Chaney to school on time and on my 7:40am conference call right on time.</em></li><li><strong>You didn't load and unload the dishwasher??</strong>... <em>yeah, I made dinner and then I had to argue (help)&nbsp;with Chaney about her homework, have her argue with me about taking a shower, and listen to her grumble and make excuses about practicing her violin.</em></li><li><strong>You forgot to do _______...</strong> <em>yes, I did.&nbsp; Between inhaling my lunch and running errands for our family, I forgot or ran out of time&nbsp;to do one thing.</em></li><li><strong>You didn't run today?... </strong><em>no, not yet.&nbsp; If I can get everyone to leave me alone that might be a possibility.</em></li><li><strong>You don't take care of yourself</strong>... <em>Because I'm taking care of everything else that</em> <strong>I didn't do</strong>.</li><li><strong>You never take time for yourself...</strong> <em>see above.</em></li></ul>I know that I'm probably coming across as whiny but I've got to say all this somewhere.&nbsp; It's hard finding a balance where everyone is relatively happy.&nbsp; Problem is, when I finally strike that balance I find that&nbsp;I'm absolutely miserable.&nbsp; <br /><br />And then I find more things that <strong>I didn't do</strong> and it makes me wonder why I try so hard in the first place.&nbsp; I know it's a common thing with women&nbsp;but I feel like I'm losing myself.&nbsp; My identity is the daily grind of home, work, and life.&nbsp; Anything above and beyond that and I either feel selfish or inadequate.<br /><br />And I'm exhausted.<br /><br />Maybe I'll find the time to run today.&nbsp; I sure hope so because I need it.<br />http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-i-didnt-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-1457612773871106685Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:39:00 +00002013-02-27T11:39:45.173-08:00Time vs. Distance<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">&nbsp; </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8514093070/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8514093070_d466495d58_z.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have loved my 10K Runner plan.&nbsp; It was smart, balanced and I'm convinced it helped to keep me injury free.&nbsp; </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">But...</div><br />Now that I'm moving on to training for my half marathon, running for time isn't doing it for me.&nbsp; I'm finding that I run faster when I have a training distance I need to accomplish versus running for a certain number of minutes.&nbsp; Mentally it's hard for me to run hard for 60 minutes because I'm afraid I'll run out of gas.&nbsp; It also gives me a bit of permission to slack off because 60 minutes is 60 minutes no matter how fast or hard you push.<br /><br />But running for miles... for whatever reason&nbsp;it's easier for me to tell how much farther I have to go and I can pace myself accordingly.&nbsp; And pace is becoming more and more important as I am training for a race that doesn't give you a medal for running for 120 minutes.&nbsp; It gives you&nbsp;a medal for crossing the finish line after 13.1 miles.<br /><br />And really, if I'm feeling good after completing my alloted mileage, I can always run another few miles.&nbsp; I know this is a completely mental game but hey, whatever works because, like I&nbsp;learned&nbsp;during my 10K,&nbsp;running is just as much mental as it is physical.http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/02/time-vs-distance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-7376752520131135287Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:00:00 +00002013-02-26T07:00:06.280-08:00Confidence<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8507645997/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Untitled by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8518/8507645997_72652fe319_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As I was running my <a href="http://www.thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/02/cowtown-10k.html" target="_blank">10K</a> the other day, I realized that I had some things to work on.&nbsp; It wasn't a good race for me and I knew it was going to be tough after two down weeks of being sick.&nbsp; But reflecting on it, my biggest area for improvement is in the emotional/mental aspect of my running.</div><br />I've never been known for having a great self esteem.&nbsp; Those who know me well enough probably think that I'm pretty secure in myself but those who <em>really</em> know me know that my self esteem is crap.&nbsp; So as I was running... fighting through the race... I started paying attention to how I talk to myself and it's pretty sad.<br /><br />I would never talk to Chaney, Steve, or really anyone the way that I was talking to myself that day.&nbsp; Ouch.<br /><br />But there I was being all kinds of negative towards myself and <em>that</em>, I'm not so sure how to fix.&nbsp; Where is that confidence supposed to come from?&nbsp; Because more often than not I find myself being negative and holding back... just in case.<br /><br />And then I get mad at myself for holding back and then the really negative stuff starts running through my head.&nbsp; It's a tough thing to conquer; this self confidence thing.&nbsp; I keep searching for the smallest of things that could give me a stepping stone towards confidence and even when I find it, I almost always end up holding back.<br /><br />As I ran this morning I started thinking about the last time I fully embraced running.&nbsp; That was 10 years ago when I trained for my marathon.&nbsp; And while I'm in a completely different place in life now, I still have scars from that experience.&nbsp; Less than a month after completing a destination marathon combined with a wonderful vacation my then husband began having an affair.&nbsp; <br /><br />Do I fear that happening now?&nbsp; No, not at all.&nbsp; But I'm being stretched and old scars hurt as they are stretched.&nbsp; With each pop of the scar tissue those nagging, hurtful words from my past&nbsp;are released.&nbsp; I didn't have good support the last time I ran and I actually had quite the opposite.&nbsp; But I kept going, finished my marathon,&nbsp;and had&nbsp;lots of little successes along the way.<br /><br />Problem was that those&nbsp;small victories, my growing self confidence, even my healthy life changes&nbsp;were not celebrated but instead thrown in my face as a reason, an excuse for my ex-husbands affairs.&nbsp; That's a tough pill to swallow after coming as far as I had because somehow it was my fault.<br /><br />So even after 10 years of healing, there's still that&nbsp;lingering scar tissue that at times makes me feel defeated and scared.&nbsp; The key, I suppose, is finding away to turn those scars and the fear&nbsp;into fuel and&nbsp;motivation.<br /><br />But that's the hard part.&nbsp; The easier part is taking what I have been able to learn and that is that the words we say matter.&nbsp; They stick with people long after&nbsp;we have said them and think that they have been forgotten.&nbsp; <br /><br />Our words are powerful, including the ones we speak to ourselves.http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/02/confidence.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-7041248063730766986Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:49:00 +00002013-02-25T08:49:53.132-08:00Cowtown 10K<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8507538228/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Yesterday's medal. I really should find a better way to keep these than in a pile on a bookshelf... by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Yesterday's medal. I really should find a better way to keep these than in a pile on a bookshelf..." height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8087/8507538228_19884affcb_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I finished!&nbsp; To more&nbsp;advanced runners that might not be super impressive but I'm happy with it... this time anyways.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I'm super competitive so it was tough to go into the race knowing that I wasn't physically 100%.&nbsp; But I made the best of it and tried to find the positives.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8506426371/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="The 7 am start was ffffffreezing! The good... my legs felt great. The bad... my lungs haven't recovered from being so sick. I finished and I'm proud that I stuck with it and didn't quit. Obligatory medal pic to follow... by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="The 7 am start was ffffffreezing! The good... my legs felt great. The bad... my lungs haven't recovered from being so sick. I finished and I'm proud that I stuck with it and didn't quit. Obligatory medal pic to follow..." height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8506426371_ba665f2596_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was supposed to be warmer but a cold front came thru on Friday so at 7am on Saturday it was in the mid 30's.&nbsp; My lungs were not great after back to back upper respiratory/sinus infections and the cold air did not make things better.&nbsp; By mile&nbsp;two I couldn't get a decent breath and I started coughing.&nbsp; I tried to breathe through my nose by my sinuses were still super congested.&nbsp; Ugh.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">By mile 2.5&nbsp;I was having to walk/run.&nbsp; I hated doing this but when I coughed I ended up with a metallic taste in my mouth and I knew better than to push it.&nbsp; I don't need to add pneumonia to the list of illnesses.</div><br />The last 3.2 miles were basically an exercise in distracting myself with random observations to avoid crying out of sheer frustration.&nbsp; My legs felt great but my lungs were just not cooperating!<br /><br />A few observations...<br /><ul><li>Port-o-potties on the course should have&nbsp;a warning sign on them:&nbsp; BAD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN HERE.&nbsp; I ran past one and the door happened to be open... people pee before a race.&nbsp; If you are stopping during the race then you probably have other issues going on.&nbsp; Like I said, warning sign needed.</li><li>Headband/ear warmers are not a good look if you have short hair like I do.&nbsp; I discovered this in the mirror at home before we left.&nbsp; You look like a running mushroom.&nbsp; Or worse.</li><li>Picking a person ahead of you and working on trying to pass them really does work.&nbsp; I felt kinda bad about doing this until I realized someone was doing it to me too. Game on&nbsp;;)</li><li>Big races are a lot of fun.&nbsp; If you're middle of the pack like me, you don't run alone.</li><li>A big hill to start the race and {what felt like} an even bigger one to finish is hard.&nbsp; And elevation charts lie... things&nbsp;seem much easier when you're just looking at a squiggly line on paper.</li><li>Texting, Instagramming, Facebooking, etc while running... really??&nbsp; I left my phone in the car and it felt good not being tethered to the thing.&nbsp; But that's just me, well until you stop right in front of me to take a picture, then I'm kinda annoyed.&nbsp; I can see carrying a phone on a longer race but not for&nbsp;a 5K or 10K.</li></ul>All in all I had fun.&nbsp; Like I said, my legs felt great and that's encouraging.&nbsp; The race was well organized, especially for there being 11,000 people there between the 10K, 5K, and kid's 5K.&nbsp; I'll definitely run this event again.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8507541442/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="My current view. Pretty much the perfect afternoon. #quiltdog by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="My current view. Pretty much the perfect afternoon. #quiltdog" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8530/8507541442_8c3b942422_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After I finished we raced back to pick up Chaney.&nbsp; She had a birthday party at 10:30 and another one at 4:30.&nbsp; I crashed on the couch between the two parties with Gus a.k.a Quiltdog.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8506681399/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Go Stars!! by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="Go Stars!!" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8104/8506681399_9dd3dfea3b_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Steve had also bought Dallas Stars tickets about a month ago so we had that to go to Saturday night.&nbsp; I wasn't super thrilled about walking around downtown Dallas and up and down arena steps but it was a great game and a fun date night which made it totally worth it!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Friends and family also helped make Saturday less stressful and more enjoyable by helping out with Chaney.&nbsp; I'm super thankful for them because it would have been tough waking her up at 4:30am and then worrying about her standing around in the cold while I ran.&nbsp; And of course there's Steve.&nbsp; He never complained about the early start or the cold.&nbsp; He really is my biggest fan and it's wonderful having him with me at these races.&nbsp; Love that guy!</div>http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/02/cowtown-10k.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-5919826411153286180Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:08:00 +00002013-02-21T10:08:43.633-08:00and then just as soon...... as I <a href="http://www.thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/02/just-as-soon.html" target="_blank">post about</a> posting about&nbsp;not being&nbsp;sick and missing workouts; I get a horrible sinus infection that likes to alternate between my sinuses and my chest making it stupid to breathe and run at the same time.&nbsp; <br /><br />So yeah, I got an upper respiratory infection and just as soon as I got over that I got a sinus infection.&nbsp; Yay for winter and working in a bank!&nbsp; Money is absolutely filthy and then you get these little tellers who touch that money and then touch everything else in the branch which makes everyone sick.&nbsp; I wholly blame the tellers.<br /><br />I have my 10K race this Saturday and I am super stressed about it.&nbsp; Obviously I'm not as ready as I should be which makes me really frustrated because it's not like I skipped runs just because I wanted to.&nbsp; I'm still going to run because I'm stubborn like that and I'll just gut my way through the last few miles that I know are going to be tough.&nbsp; Oh well.<br /><br />In other news, I have to go buy new running&nbsp;tights and shorts because when I run they are now falling down.&nbsp; Not a good look... hence the absence of a picture in this post.&nbsp; You're welcome.&nbsp; But that's also exciting because that means that I'm losing weight!<br /><br />I'm still sticking with my no-weighing myself rule and it's working really well for me.&nbsp; I'm not obsessed with food, counting calories or balancing calories burned with calories taken in.&nbsp; I'm just doing my best to be healthy and it's paying off. :)http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/02/and-then-just-as-soon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3389528504059977856.post-3975453233630154378Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:00:00 +00002013-02-12T13:21:35.213-08:00Just as soon...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgirlthatquilt/8468180425/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="1pro by That Girl, That Quilt, on Flickr"><img alt="1pro" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8513/8468180425_c8097557bd_z.jpg" width="343" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fancy new hair!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">... as I post about not missing any workouts, I get sick.&nbsp; I should have known better!&nbsp; </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Last week I came down with an upper respiratory infection; probably from allergies that went south.&nbsp; Thankfully it wasn't flu, strep or any of the other illnesses that are floating around work right now.</div><br />I knew better than to run while I was wheezing&nbsp;so other than some yoga, I didn't do anything until this past Saturday.&nbsp; That was a rough workout!&nbsp; I ran two miles and I was done.<br /><br />Sunday I tried again and finished my 10K Runner workout and felt much better.&nbsp; I was doing my best not to freak out about missing workouts and then I remembered that I had an extra week between 10K Runner ending and my first 10K.&nbsp; Thank goodness for that extra week!<br /><br />It's interesting though, even just missing a week's worth of activity, I started to feel that familiar cloud creeping into the corner of my eyes.&nbsp; If you've ever struggled with depression then you probably know that cloud that&nbsp;I'm talking about.&nbsp; If you haven't... well, I promise that I'm not crazy. ;)&nbsp; <br /><br />So I was more than relieved to get back to my normal routine and for more than just the reason of not wanting to completely suck at my upcoming 10K.&nbsp; I've always been a believer in exercise but seeing what it has done for my emotional health makes it that much more important to me... and probably to everyone around me as well.<br /><br />I'm on the "downhill" slope of my 10K Runner plan.&nbsp; My longest runs {time-wise}&nbsp;are done and now I'm doing intervals and then the final stretch&nbsp;of working towards&nbsp;running a solid 65 minutes straight.&nbsp; I'm actually excited about that because I am&nbsp;beginning to hate stopping to walk when the program says to.<br /><br />On a completely and mostly unrelated note, I got my hair cut yesterday.&nbsp; I went with a pixie cut that is working surprisingly well with my thick curls.&nbsp;&nbsp;I don't even have to blow dry it which makes me very happy!<br /><br />Less time drying and styling = more time running and quilting. :)http://thatgirlrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/2013/02/just-as-soon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jennifer)3